10-Minute Kaya (II)
To enjoy a kaya toast brekky at home:
1. Make kaya in 10 minutes, up to one week ahead. On no account make kaya the traditional way which involves a double-boiler and stirring for hours on end. If you have a lot of free time, I suggest you bathe your dog, read a book, or take a nap.
2. The night before kaya toast breakfast, remove eggs from the fridge to let them come to room temperature.
3. 15 minutes before serving, put the kettle on.
4. Pour some boiling water into a pot, enough to fill about 4 cm. Using a spoon or ladle, put the eggs in the pot. Add more boiling water as necessary so that the eggs are just submerged.
Cover the pot and set the timer for 10 minutes for 55 g eggs. For bigger eggs, increase the time by 1 minute, and vice versa. If the pot is crowded, increase by another 1 minute, and vice versa.
5. Pour some boiling water into serving bowls. Half-boiled eggs should be served in warm bowls, don’t you think?
6. Make the drink of choice, which is kopi gau xiu dai for me.
7. Set the table – kaya, butter, dark soya sauce, ground white pepper, knives, spoons, plates, etc. Or maybe you’ll be setting the tray for a lucky someone who’s getting breakfast in bed?
8. After the eggs have been steeping for 5 minutes, toast the bread.
9. When the timer goes off, drain the bowls and eggs.
10. Tuck in whilst the toast and eggs are hot. Break 1-2 eggs into a warm bowl, using a spoon to dig out the residual egg white in the shell. Season with dark soya sauce and ground white pepper to taste. Spread a piece of toast with kaya, then top with sliced cold butter.
I like my kaya roti thick-sliced and open-faced; most people do thin-sliced and closed, I think. Stir the egg(s) slightly and dunk the toast. Enjoy!
Related post: tips for making full kaya breakfast.
10-Minute Kaya
Video
Ingredients
- 45 g sugar
- 45 g palm sugar
- 200 ml undiluted fresh coconut milk
- 4 young light green pandan leaves – wash and cut 5 cm long
- 4 yolks – make sure there’s no egg white at all
Instructions
- Cook sugar, palm sugar, coconut milk and pandan leaves over medium heat, stirring constantly, till just starting to simmer gently. Turn off heat.
- Stir egg yolks and, at the same time, slowly add half of coconut milk mixture. Next, pour all of egg mixture into remaining coconut milk in one go. Over medium heat, cook combined mixture till slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Continue stirring till mixture is thick enough to coat sides of pot thickly. Turn off heat.
- Taste and add more sugar if necessary. Discard pandan leaves. Transfer kaya to a bowl or bottle. Leave till completely cool. Cover. Refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving if you want a softer, squidgy consistency. Kaya may be stored for 1 week, chilled.